Site Mobile Navigation

Looking to Add Arms, Yankees First Deal One

INDIANAPOLIS — As the World Series champions, the Yankees are the object of envy at the winter meetings. Yet as executives and agents huddled in hotel suites Monday, safe from the snow outside, the Yankees were just like the rest of baseball. They want arms.

“Pitching, pitching, pitching, and then left field,” General Manager Brian Cashman said. “Those are the obvious areas we need to focus on.”

The Yankees have an advantage on other teams, of course, because they have the highest payroll. They hope to bring it below $200 million for next season, but that still gives them enough space to have choices.

Their first move was to subtract a pitcher, trading reliever Brian Bruney to the Washington Nationals on Monday for a player to be named. The Nationals pick first in the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday, and they will select a player for the Yankees.

The last player the Yankees kept from the Rule 5 Draft was Josh Phelps in 2007, but other teams have uncovered stars. Players like Johan Santana (1999) and Josh Hamilton (2006) have been acquired in that draft.

Bruney was eligible for salary arbitration, and Cashman said the Yankees have strong bullpen alternatives. They have fewer reliable options in the rotation, so their first priority is to re-sign Andy Pettitte, who has told the Yankees he will return for the right deal.

At this time last year, the Yankees offered Pettitte $10 million, which he rejected. Negotiations dragged until late January, when Pettitte signed for a $5.5 million guarantee. After a strong season in which he earned $5 million more in incentives, Pettitte’s offer is higher than $10 million this time. But Cashman was not sure the sides could strike a deal quickly.

At least with Pettitte, there is a long track record on which to base a salary. With the Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman, there is almost none. Chapman and Pettitte are both represented by Randy and Alan Hendricks, so it is logical that the sides have discussed Chapman, too.

The Yankees are intrigued by Chapman, but not for a price like the $15.1 million the Nationals paid pitcher Stephen Strasburg, the No. 1 pick in last June’s draft. Chapman, 21, throws 100 miles an hour but has not worked out for teams.

The Yankees have not committed to bringing back Chien-Ming Wang, their No. 2 starter last April who struggled and then had shoulder surgery in July. Wang’s agent, Alan Nero, said the Yankees had not told him if they would tender Wang a contract before the deadline Saturday.

Nero said he was optimistic that Wang could be ready by opening day, but Cashman put the timetable “between April and June.” If the Yankees tender a contract to Wang, they will be bound to pay him at least $4 million.

“He works very hard, and he’s extremely structured,” Cashman said. “But at the same time, shoulders are tricky, too. Those are things we’ll have to determine. I’ll talk to our doctors and get the most up-to-date medical information prior to our decision.”

Once the Yankees strengthen their rotation, they will focus on Johnny Damon or other left fielders. The future of designated hitter Hideki Matsui will follow that, though there are no indications the Yankees have decided they want to retain him.

In dealing Bruney, the Yankees parted with a hard-throwing reliever who had worked in 153 games for them since 2006. Bruney dealt with elbow issues last season and lost his job as the setup man, but he made the World Series roster and pitched once.

Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo, who drafted Bruney for Arizona, told him he could be a late-inning reliever for Washington, which had the worst record in the majors in 2009.

“This is going to be a little different, but I think it’s going to be a pretty good opportunity for me,” Bruney said by telephone from Texas, where he was on a hunting trip with Brett Gardner. “I’m definitely going to miss New York, but it’s a lot easier to go out when you win a World Series.”

A version of this article appears in print on December 8, 2009, on page B15 of the New York edition with the headline: Looking to Add Arms, Yankees First Deal One. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe